Page 4 of Up in Smoke

I relaxed at the idea of Lora having a grandpa, a good one who would like her. I had grandparents, but my parents were chips off their blocks.

I wasn’t a chip off any block in my family, and I liked it that way.

“She’s going to have a hard time adapting,” I predicted. “She’s worked since she turned seven. No choice in the Alley. We had her in the kitchen before she could handle serving food in the bar.”

“That’s all right. Mom’s used to workaholics. She’ll make sure Lora feels like she’s contributing. I will make sure she’s aware there may be problems, though. Do you know if Lora has any other family in the Alley?”

“Twister got them,” I whispered.

The twisters got a lot of people every year.

“I’ll make sure Mom knows so she doesn’t ask about it.” Sandro sighed. “Twisters have killed a lot of people there.”

Not a question, but a statement, one filled with regret over what he—no, we—hadn’t been able to prevent. Yet. “Yeah. I think my biggest regret is my last landlord. I’d only met him once, then a twister got him, but he’d been one of the good ones. I didn’t need to meet him more than once to learn that.”

“And if we’re right, Mansfield is why he’s dead.”

I stretched my fingers and splayed my hand on my legs so I wouldn’t fall prey to the urge to punch something, like the back of the seat in front of me. “If I find proof he’s behind the choirs, I’ll kill him myself. I’ll enjoy every minute of it.”

My fox approved.

“If we find proof, I’ll help you,” Sandro promised.

Friday, May 29, 2043.

Newark, New Jersey.

The East.

The airport had a candy store,and Sandro set me loose in it. I appreciated the laughter in his voice when he said, “Pretend New Orleans doesn’t have candy.”

New Orleans had some candy, but in reality, it was worth its weight in gold and the queens controlled the import of sugar and alcohol. Hyperactive or drunk people had a tendency to start singing, and when hyperactive or drunk people started singing, magic happened—chaotic, destructive magic.

“I don’t think that bag I checked is going to be big enough for a candy stash, Sandro.” I eyed an entire wall of chocolate truffles. I would need at least a hundred of them, maybe two hundred. Then I’d need the sour sucker candies, which made my fox swoon as a general rule.

“There’s a luggage store next door, and my current plan is to purchase you a set to fill with anything your heart desires from the stores while we wait for our flight.”

As we were two hours early and five minutes away from our gate, I ran a high risk of being spoiled before taking our flight. “But how will we get the bags onto the plane? We already checked our luggage.”

Airports confuse me, but confusion beat worrying about the perils of flying through the boundary zones.

“You can check additional luggage at the gate,” he informed me. “Get a basket, and once you fill that, I should be back with your new luggage so you can fill it up with your sweet treasures.”

“Are you getting any candy?”

“Absolutely. I’m just using you to make sure I have a sufficient supply for this trip.” He pointed at the wall featuring lollipops. “I love those, and they’re a great tool for preventing any accidental music. I can’t sing with my mouth full of sweet or sour goodness. Lollipops are tough to get in New Orleans. You’ll need to declare our candy stashes when we arrive, but considering you’re being welcomed by at least one queen, our loot will be fine.”

“Do you think we’ll really be in New Orleans for six months?”

“I have no idea how long we’ll be in New Orleans, but after six months, we can make an excuse to head home for a while before bringing in a new stash of candy and other things we can’t easily get there.”

I couldn’t remember being in want of anything while in New Orleans, but I’d been with Ryleigh most of the time. Before Ryleigh had scooped me off the streets through snagging me by the tail and dragging me off at her whim for a proper education, I’d scavenged.

Scavengers didn’t care about candy, chocolate, or luxuries. Scavengers cared about survival.

Tulsa took the cake for its challenges, but New Orleans came a close second.

“Okay. A six month supply of candy. What else will we need?”